Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 02, 2015 (SKNIS): Senior Minister and Minister responsible for Labour, the Honourable Vance Amory, has laid the foundation for a productive relationship between the tripartite partners – government, employers and the labour union.
This was done during a recent meeting at Government Headquarters to review a number of issues, including the current state of labour relations in the federation, job creation, relations with international agencies and associated obligations such as the Decent Work Agenda of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
“The meeting was very useful and it is something which I thought was necessary in order to get the tripartite arrangement up and running as early as we can,” Senior Minister Amory said.
The meeting was chaired by the senior minister, supported by Labour Commissioner Spencer Amory. The Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CIC) represented the employers in the persons of Director Calvin Cable and Attorney Emile Ferdinand. José Rosa of Kajola Kristada represented the manufacturing sector. President of the St. Kitts and Nevis Trades and Labour Union, Joseph O’Flaherty and General Secretary Batumba Tak and colleagues gave the workers’ perspective. The stakeholders were updated on the progress of the four pillars of national priority, which cover revision of the labour laws and establishment of a labour code, strengthening the labour market information system, enhancing the workplace policy and strengthening the social dialogue process.
Another component reviewed was the increase in productivity of workers and enhancing their knowledge and skills.
“That is very important,” the labour minister emphasized. “We spoke about employers providing opportunities for training, but also how to get the employees ... willing to access and accept the training to make them more efficient and productive in the workplace because ... we need an economy which is as productive as possible so that we can create as much wealth as possible. ... If the economy grows and businesses are productive and profitable then chances are there could be better opportunities for increasing wages and increasing better working conditions and other benefits.”
Labour commissioner Amory described the relationship between the tripartite constituents as “cordial and very helpful,” noting that the atmosphere of confrontation that existed in previous generations is a thing of the past.
All sides agreed to have regular meetings to strengthen communication and maintain a positive working relationship.
*************************
DISCLAIMER
This article was posted in its entirety as received by SKNVibes.com. This media house does not correct any spelling or grammatical error within press releases and commentaries. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of SKNVibes.com, its sponsors or advertisers
